The Role of Episodic Buffer in Episodic Future Thinking

Abstract

Present research attempted to see the role performed by episodic buffer in the generation of future thinking by making episodic buffer engage in dual task while generating future thoughts. Hypothesis anticipated differences in response accuracy and required time of response. Participants performed episodic buffer task of verbal-spatial binding while retrieving events of past and constructing events of future. While comparing past and future retrieval, variances in response accuracy and reaction time was not evident but memory specificity appeared noteworthy. In addition, participants’ observer or third person perspective facilitated to generate more specific memory which is inconsistent with previous researches [20] [21] [23] that lead to the necessity of more extensive enquiries. As concerns episodic buffer, present study suggests no further significant contribution of buffer in future thinking than thinking about the past.